222 
NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 
idea of the scope of the " History," which will doubtless be of 
eminent service in the direction for which it is intended. " Unfor- 
tunately the general public know but little, and care less, about the 
lower Cryptogamia, except for Algae grouped as pretty objects for the 
drawing room, or ornate diatoms arranged in groups to please soiree 
hunters, or stewed mushrooms, and Perigord pies." 
NOTES AND MEMOEANDA. 
The Belgian Microscopical Society. — This Society, founded last 
year on the model of the Koyal Microscopical Society, is rapidly 
growing into importance, and bids fair to perform its part in micro- 
scopical research. It has, we are informed, just conferred, through 
its President, Professor Miller, the honorary Fellowship of the Society 
upon Mr. Jabez Hogg. 
The Compound Microscope in the Examination of Patients.— 
Dr. H. G. Piffard has devised a simple contrivance by means of which 
the binocular microscope can be employed in the ordinary "out- 
patient room," for the examination of the skin of patients suffering 
from skin affections. The inventor's remarks in the last number of 
the ' Archives of Dermatology ' are, as to the subject of the aberration 
of lenses, utterly unimportant. But his idea of employing the 
binocular is a good one. He says : " The objectives which I employ 
are a 6", 2", and 1" of Grunow, a 4" and J" of Eoss. The J" is made 
with taper front, specially constructed for use with reflected light. 
The advantages of this arrangement over the single lens, are enlarge- 
ment of the field of view, absence of spherical and chromatic aberra- 
tions, convenient distance of the observer's eye from the object 
observed, ten times the amplification practically attainable with the 
simple microscope, and lastly, the very great advantage of true 
stereoscopic vision. With the instrument described any portion of 
the integument from the scalp to the sole of the feet can be conve- 
niently examined, and a prolonged examination can be made without 
fatigue to the observer. The ordinary diffused light of a bright day 
affords ample illumination with all the objectives except the J". For 
this we need direct sunlight. If the examination be made at night or 
in a dark place, the light from a Tobold or other good illuminator, 
concentrated upon the object with a mirror or bull's-eye condenser, 
will answer every purpose," 
